Sonoma County reports 3 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing July spike to 14

Sonoma County public health officials Thursday reported three more deaths attributed to the coronavirus, including two local residents who were fully vaccinated.

The fatalities add to the virus-related death spike, raising the July total to 14. That’s after four deaths in June and a single death in May related to COVID-19.

Regarding the latest deaths, officials said all three people had underlying health conditions.

One of the fatalities involved a vaccinated man over 64 who died in a local hospital on July 27. The other was a vaccinated man over 90 who died in a skilled nursing center July 31.

The third person was a woman over 64 who died Aug. 1 in a local hospital. The three fatalities boosted the local pandemic death toll since March 2020 to 334.

Virus-related deaths are on the rise, following the recent upswing of both new coronavirus cases and subsequent hospitalizations.

Hospitalizations began to climb in mid-June, from under 10 to more than 60 now. As of Wednesday, there were 61 people hospitalized in Sonoma County with COVID-19, with 16 of them receiving intensive-care treatment.

This week in response to the recent increases in coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths, county health officials issued new public health orders to try to curb the transmission of the highly contagious delta variant of the virus.

These include a mandatory indoor masking rule in public places for everyone, regardless of vaccination status and a requirement that all police, fire, emergency medical services employees and disaster shelter staff get fully vaccinated by Sept. 1 or submit to weekly testing.

Also, Mendocino County health officials Tuesday issued an indoor masking rule for all residents, as well as the requirement that first responders show proof of vaccination or be tested regularly.

Dr. Andy Coren, Mendocino County’s health officer, wants county officials to enforce the public health measures as emergency ordinances, with violations subject to administrative citation and fines rather than being charged as a crime. Coren stressed the importance of educating rather than punishing the public.

“But the true consequences of our failing, this is the possibility of again having to close schools, recreation and business as well as seeing increased illness and death,” Coren said, during a meeting of the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Sonoma County will consider a vaccination requirement for all of its nearly 4,500 employees at the Aug. 17 meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

What’s more, Dr. Sundari Mase, Sonoma County’s health officer, on Wednesday urged all county employers to impose a virus inoculation mandate or weekly testing stipulation as a condition for employment.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.